Forage harvester with up-cut chopper and blower



p 1951 E. c. CARLSON EI'AL 2,998,834

FORAGE HARVESTER WITH UP-CUT CHOPPER AND BLOWER Original Filed Nov. 5, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 p 1961 E. c. CARLSON EI'AL 2,998,834

FORAGE HARVESTER WITH UP-CUT CHOPPER AND BLOWER 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed Nov. 5, 1956 era? 26 Zfl' .W @Z z z orzzeg Sept. 5, 1961 E. c. CARL SON El'AL 2,998,834

FORAGE HARVESTER WITH UP-CUT CHOPPER AND BLOWER Original Filed Nov. 5, 1956 5 Sheets-Sheet 3' i .4 fndezzi ors 9 Roer? W655 QAAQQ-W as 2,998,834 Unltd S Ice Patented Sept. 5, 196 1 enlarged scale taken substantially on the line 2- 2 of 2,998,834 FIGURE 1; FORAGE HARVESTER WITH UP'CUT FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of the CHOPPER AND BLOWER 7 basic Structure;

Ernest C. Carlson, Wheaton, and Robert H. Witt, 'I-Iins- F1 GURE 4 is a fragmentary eniarged View of a pop 11 1 ll]. s t International Harvester Comi a assignm- 0 tion of the section shown in FIGURE 2', and

an Chica o Ill. a corporation of New Jersey P y lfappiication Ser. No. 620,478, Nov. 5, FIGURE 5 is a radial sectional view takensubstan- Continuation o 1958, No. 2 tially On the line 5-5 of FIGURE 4.

1956. This application Oct.

9 Ciaillls- Describing the invention in detail, the forage harvester 10 generally designated 2 comprises the usual wide platform This invention relates to harvesters and more specifically 3 Which includes upstanding side members 4 and 5 and to a novel ensilage harvester and is a continuation of a bottom 6 along the forward edge of which is carried the appiicaiioh now abandoned: Seriai 620,478 reciprocating sickle 7 for cutting the material against filed on November 5, 1956: in the name of Robert Wiii which the harvester is advanced, the material being carfor Forage Harvester with Up-Cut Chopper and Blower. l5 Tied up {the Platform by a reel Which iS Supported A general object of the invention isto provide a novel above the l tf bottom by and between h ting hovel and improved standing outboard and inboard walls or panels 4 and 5.

forage harvester incorpora y g means including a Guitar head which P to The material is fed to an anger 10 which is rotatably Chi P Y and Sling the material ihlohgh a suitable carried between the walls 4 and 5 adjacent to the rear ducting toatl'a l ng Vehicle- 20 portion 11 of the platform and the auger comprises Forage harvesters of Current and Pfei/ioiiS designs reversely spiraled flights 12 and 13 which condense the d PlatiOIm Carrying a Sickle Cutting material centerwardly of the auger whereat it is moved feature a forwar an extensive width of material and this is condensed rearwardly by outstanding axially elongated paddles 15 into a narrow throat from which the material is fed into hi h moveihe material t th a row throat 16 defined a l l which Chis downwafdiy- The material Seoul's 25 by and between the upstanding rear panels 17' and 18', the enclosing housing and is flung p y and of the platform. The material is discharged by the watdly through a tangential p p outlet into a wagonpaddles 15 011120, the top run 16 of the conveyor 17 which 7 A more specific Object of the invention i5 to Provide extends the width of the throat 16. The conveyor 17 a novel forage hdl'vfsiEr with a floating lower apron for is of the chain and slat type and at its forward end or chop upwardly and to throw the material over its back to bl 20 from th upport arms 22 and 23 which effect a quick and efiicien-t transition of the material. are i t d as t 24 b a cross shaft 25 from the side A further object is o provide a simplified feeding sheets or side walls 26 and 27 (FIGURE 3 of the basic system comprising two cooperating feeding elements i unit generally designated as, the side sheets 26 and 27 lex plurality of devices used in convenoverlapping the rearwardly extending side walls 29 and lieu of the comp tional machinesthus obtaining a machine which results 30 f th platform throat structure and pivotally connot only in lower manufacturing costs but als a P nected thereto on a generally horizontal transverse axis fication in the drives, frame, etc. by the shaft 25 as best seen in FIGURE 1.

i More specifically the novel feeding system provides a It will be observed that the material is fed diagonally th roll Structure wh ch ha i s upwardly and rearwardly on the top run 16 and that the retractable finger smoo fingers extended and cooperating with a lower apron theredischarge or rear delivery extremity 32 of the conveyor 17 eted shaft assembly 33,

beneath to retrieve material from the attachment units i floatingly mounted on a sprock shown and which retracts its fingers on its rear side 80 the shaft 34 of which extends through arcuate that it may be cleaned by a cooperating scraper. and 36 (FIGURES 2 and 3) in the side sheets 2.6 and A still further object is to provide an improved sever- 2.7. The outer extremities of the shaft 34 are suspended ing and conveying mechanism which comprises a rotor, by springs 38 and 39 from lugs 40 and 41 carried by the and in contrast to conventional practice, cuts upwardly plates 26 and 27 outwardly thereof whereby the apron and discharges the material into a discharge tube which 17 is continuously urged or biased upwardly.

is positioned along a line approximating the mean line The upper run 16 of the conveyor 17 passes under a of discharge of the material, the T0101" being a d i feeding or metering drum 43 which is rotatably supported a housing having a peripheral wall between the inlet, at oppos'te ends as at 44 and 45 from the side sheets wherein a shear bar is provided, and the outlet and the 26 and 27 and the finger drum 43 having. arcylindrical wall having a scroll section which begins to recede away portion 46 and having a crank shaft 46' therein eccenfrom the periphery of the rotor from the shear bar to the trically mounting a plurality of fingers 47 which are discharge outlet so as not to impede the flow or moveadapted to extend outwardly from the forward side 48 ment of the material from the blades of the rotor and to of the drum and sweep the material under the qdrum 43 reduce 'or eliminate frictional scraping of the material while the fingers withdraw at the bottom 48] and back along the section as is the situation in conventional side 49 of the drum as the material is passed under a choppers wherein the material is cut downwardly. scraper plate 50 which cooperates with the periphery 51 These and other objects Of the invention will become of the drum to channel or direct the material under the ore apparent from the specification and the drawings ledger'plate or shear member 51 at the upper edge51a of the mouth or intake opening 52 of the conveying and FIGURE l is a plan view of the forage harvester insevering mechanism generally designated 53. I orporating the invention; It will be seen that the framework 54 of the apron 17 I FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary sectional view on an may form a closed bottom for the top run 16 of the apron feeding material into cutie! head which 0Periiies to 30 intake end 19 is rotatably supported on a sprocketed shaft slots 35 and supports a rearwardly extending lug structure 55 to which is pivoted as at 56 the upper end of a gate 57 which at its lower end is confined by a slot 59 and a pin 60 carried by the lower end of the gate 57 to travel substandrum structure 65. The intake or material receiving opening 52 is thus varied depending upon the volume of material which is being brought into the housing 64. As the apron 17 swings downwardly because of heavy accumulawill close up.

The head 65 comprises a center shaft 66 on which are keyed a pair of hubs 67 and 68 constrained for rotation therewith. The shaft 66 is journalled adjacent to opposite ends in bearings 69 and 7G in the side walls 71 and 72 of the cage 64. The hubs are connected about their outer peripheries to a series of blades or knives 73, 73 which are trough shaped preferably and which comprise root or inner end portions 74 which are bolted as at 75 to the hubs and the blades which are somewhat trough shaped and have material engaging sides 75 and extend outwardly and directed into the direction of rotation of the cutter head and have outer sharpened edges 76 which are adapted to cooperate with the ledger plate tioned at the upper gradual curve upwardly and rearwardly to form a top wall 78' of the discharge spout 80 which is disposed approximately tangential to the cutter head. It will be seen that the extent of the material discharging opening proper 80' is from 60 to 120 from the intake opening and that the entire discharge opening extends from approximately to 120. The intake opening 52 is located below the center plane or horizontal plane X-X (FIGURE 4) of the cutter head. The back Wall 79 of the tube generally parallels the wall 78' and forms a cut off. The back wall section 63 of the housing or casing is concentric with the shaft 66 and in close proximity to the periphery 78.

' it will discharge duct 82.

e basic structure 28 is supported by its side members 26 and 27 from the axle 83 which in turn is mounted on wheels 84 and 85. The axle structure is connected to a draft frame 86 which is connected through a dial hitch 87 to an associated motive device such as a drawbar 88 to an associated tractor 89.

It will be seen that and sprocket assembly 95, a counter shaft 96 which in turn drives the metering drum shaft 97 (FIGURE 3) and the drum shaft assembly 20 of the apron through a chain and sprocket device 98 which may be suitably tightened by an idler assembly 99. The shaft 96 may also be provided with a chain and sprocket assembly 100 and drive the auger and the auger 10 may have its shaft 101 driving the shaft 102 of the reel 7 by a chain and sprocket drive 103 as best seen in FIGURE 1.

What is claimed is:

1. In a harvester, a support, an apron conveyor having intake and disposed in receiving relation to said discharge end of the apron and said outlet disposed above the inlet, said housing having an arcuate wall below said inlet, means pivotally and movably mounting said conveyor onv said Wall to vary the area of the inlet, said inlet defined by an upper edge above the apron, a cutting element on said upper edge, and a cutter head rotatably mounted in said housing and having peripheral blades cooperating with said element, and means for rotating said head in a direction moving upwardly opposite the inlet, said outlet disposed above and behind said inlet.

2. A forage conveying and severing apparatus including and cooperatively associated with the housing across said receiving opening for controlling the extent thereof in accordance with the position of the conveyor.

3. A forage severing and conveying apparatus comprising a generally cylindrical housing, a rotor coaxially mounted therein on a generally horizontal axis, said housing having a generally horizontal inlet opening and a vertical discharge opening, said rotor having a plurality of peripheral axially extending fixedly mounted blades thereon, said housing having a circumferential same and presenting upper and lower edges defining the top and bottom of the inlet opening and presenting forward and rear edges defining opposite edges of said discharge opening, a shear bar mounted on said housing along said upper edge of the inlet opening, said circumferential wall having of the inlet opening.

4. The invention according to claim 3 and conveying means mounted on said further segment in delivering relation to the inlet opening, and means spring loading said further segment in a closing direction thereof to said inlet opening.

5. A forage chopper comprising a generally cylindrical housing, a rotary cutter therein mounted on a generally horizontal axis, said housing having a longitudinal opening on one side of said housing, a shear bar on the 7. The invention according to claim 5 and said cutte having fixedly mounted trough shaped blades.

8. The invention according to claim 5 and convey ing means having a discharge end supported in delivering relation to said opening in said side of the housing and projecting forwardly therefrom.

9. The invention according to claim 5 and conveying means extending forwardly from the housing beneath said opening in one side thereof and fioatingly mounted adjacent to said side opening.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 932,745 Adelsperger Aug. 31, 1909 

